


Caught In The Middle

by leeminhyoongi



Series: Another Sad Love Song [2]
Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Best Friends, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-19
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-31 16:04:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12136056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leeminhyoongi/pseuds/leeminhyoongi
Summary: Jihoon wants to move forward, but Woojin seems to be contented with right here and right now.





	Caught In The Middle

**Author's Note:**

> Duty started today and won't end until early December, so I wanted it out before I get even busier.

As soon as they step inside Woojin’s house, Jihoon’s hand automatically buries itself in the bowl of candies Mrs. Park always has out for visitors (especially Jihoon, if she has to be honest). It’s filled to the brim with various kinds of sweets she knows Jihoon enjoys, so he lets fate decide which one he should have tonight.

His hand retracts and reveals a small, box-shaped, pink candy. “Oh look, Woojinnie, it’s you!”

Woojin pauses from toeing one of his shoes off to look at Jihoon, one of his eyebrows is raised questioningly.

“Starburst,” Jihoon says as he unwraps the sweet. “Because you’re the best, but also the worst. _Borst_ , burst.”

Woojin chuckles, Jihoon smiles.

 

 

 

 

 

Jihoon and Woojin have been best friends since the latter moved into the house next to Jihoon’s all the way from Busan a couple of years ago. Woojin’s family knocked on Jihoon’s door one morning, informed his family that they’re their new neighbors, and asked them to take care of the second Park family of the block. Jihoon’s parents happily obliged, invited them inside for some tea and snacks, and chatted the rest of the day away as if they’ve been friends all this time. When the conversation got too boring, Jihoon’s mom turned to him and suggested that he take Woojin up to his room. “Be very good friends,” both their moms had said to them, hence here they are, best friends attached to each other’s hip ever since.

 

Woojin was shy at first – quiet and reserved. He would only speak when spoken to, and stayed closer to the walls than necessary during social events. Jihoon had always been the friendly and outgoing type, so he took it to himself to make sure Woojin was never left out and alone.

When Woojin took interest in basketball, Jihoon offered to play with him even if he has the worst hand-eye coordination on their entire block. When Woojin started playing football, Jihoon suggested that they play together after school and on weekends even if he can hardly score a goal to save his life. When Woojin enrolled in taekwondo, Jihoon suggested that they should be sparring partners even if he has no experience in self-defense whatsoever. When Woojin found love in dance, Jihoon offered to practice with him even if he’s never danced outside the confines of the four walls of his room before.

In all of Woojin’s experiences after moving to Seoul, Jihoon was right there beside him. In all of Woojin’s games and performances after moving to Seoul, Jihoon was there for him. In absolutely everything of Woojin’s life after moving to Seoul, Jihoon was right there with him.

 

Always have been, and always will be.

Even if Woojin has a couple of other friends to hang out with now, even if he has a handful of admirers to support him now, even if there are other people he can spend his days with now.

 

 

 

Jihoon doesn’t know how or when or why.

All Jihoon knows is that one day, he’s realized he’s in love with his best friend and partner in crime.

 

 

 

 

 

They’re beside each other on Woojin’s bed one Saturday morning, when Woojin brings it up.

“You and I should go to prom together.”

Jihoon almost drops his phone on his face, and profusely thanks the heavens when he catches it right before it buries his nose into his skull. “What?”

“ _You and I_ should go to prom _together_ ,” Woojin repeats. He’s propped himself on one arm now, and looking right at Jihoon. Jihoon hastily searches for funny videos on Youtube in hopes they could keep his heart at bay.

“Why?”

Woojin shrugs. “It’s a month away. I have no date, and neither do you,” he tosses one of his pillows at Jihoon’s face when the older makes a face as if to say how dare Park Woojin think Park Jihoon has no date to prom. “Don’t give me that look, I should know if you’ve asked someone out.”

Jihoon hums because Woojin is right.

“So, is that a _yes_? Are _we_ going to prom _together_?”

Jihoon gives up trying to distract himself from the reality laying itself out in front of him. He isn’t sure if he wants to run away from it anyway. There’s no point in calming his heart and hiding the redness of his cheeks when Woojin is this close to and looking right at him. Woojin should hear and should see the effects he has on Jihoon.

“Sure. But we’re wearing pink.”

 

 

 

 

 

Jihoon doesn’t learn about what everyone has been making a fuss about all morning in the hallways until he meets Daehwi and Jinyoung for lunch. Woojin has football practice today, so the three of them will be eating under the biggest tree on the field, waiting for Woojin to come over and devour their leftovers just before the bell rings for class.

Daehwi flings a juice box at Jihoon even before the older could sit down. Jihoon catches it in the nick of time – at least all those games with Woojin did him well. “What the heck, Lee Daehwi?”

“Why didn’t you tell us Woojin hyung is taking a girl to prom?!”

Jihoon tries his hardest not to squish the juice box in his hand. “W-what?”

“I thought the two of you were going together?! I thought the four of us were going on a _double date_?!”

Jihoon wants to make it seem as if it’s his hunger that makes him fall to the grass all of a sudden and not the weight in his stomach and the weakness in his knees.

Daehwi opens his mouth to complain some more, but Jinyoung seems to have already understood the situation. He puts a hand on Daehwi’s shoulder lightly to stop him from saying anything further and making any more damage.

“W-woojin’s taking a g-girl to prom,” Jihoon repeats. He isn’t sure if it’s a question he wants answered or a statement he needs understood. He keeps himself busy by taking his time pulling the straw out of its plastic casing and pushing it into the hole of the juice box. He keeps himself calm by holding his breath for a couple of seconds at a time. He keeps himself from crying by blinking repeatedly.

“Y-yeah. You didn’t know?”

Jihoon shakes his head. It takes a lot of his strength to let out a chuckle and look at his two friends. “Who? When? How?”

Jinyoung mimics Jihoon’s forced smile with a tight-lipped one of his own. “Some cheerleader, apparently she’s always been Woojin’s fan, cheers for him the loudest during his games and dances, they say,” Jinyoung takes his time in answering. Jihoon isn’t sure if he appreciates the pace because at least he has time to keep his tears from falling, or if he wants Jinyoung to just fucking get it over with. “He asked her this morning, after their History class, nothing special, really.”

Jihoon snorts. No wonder he doesn’t know, no wonder he hasn’t heard. History’s the only class he isn’t taking with Woojin this semester. But that doesn’t change the fact that he and Woojin are _best friends_ , he should know. _Especially_ after Woojin asked _him_ to prom _first_.

Jihoon hums in response. “That’s,” he inhales deeply. “Cool.”

Both Daehwi and Jinyoung raise their eyebrows in question, but decide to keep quiet anyway. Jihoon is thankful.

 

 

 

“What is his deal? Why is he so confusing and moody?” If it hasn’t been obvious to Jihoon that Daehwi’s been annoyed at Woojin and his _games_ , especially this most recent we-should-go-to-prom-together one, it should definitely be obvious now.

Jihoon sighs. “He isn’t confusing or moody,” Daehwi raises his eyebrows but keeps quiet. “He was just playing around.”

Jihoon watches Woojin’s form on the football field. He smiles a bit as he recalls the night Woojin asked him to go to prom together, and that time Woojin asked him to practice this dance meant for a boy and a girl together, and that day Woojin asked him to stay up watching basketball and football games together. Jihoon feels his heart catch in his throat as Woojin looks his way and winks. He then feels it plummet down to the pits of his stomach when Woojin does the same to a group of girls on the other side of the field afterwards. The girl from Woojin’s History class is there.

“Remind me he was just playing around,” Jihoon, Daehwi, and Jinyoung aren’t sure to whom or to what Jihoon speaks those words to, but the younger ones are listening anyway. “Remind me that he _is_ playing around.”

Daehwi raises his eyebrows again—questioning, this time, not judging.

Jihoon takes a sip from his juice box and shrugs. “I just might forget one of these days.”

 

 

 

 

 

As soon as they step inside Woojin’s house, Jihoon’s hand automatically buries itself in the bowl of candies Mrs. Park always has out for visitors (especially Jihoon, if she’s being honest). It’s filled to the brim with various kinds of sweets Jihoon enjoys, so he lets fate decide which one he should have tonight.

His hand retracts and reveals a small, box-shaped, pink candy. “Oh look, Woojinnie, it’s you!”

Woojin pauses from toeing one of his shoes off to look at Jihoon, one of his eyebrows is raised questioningly.

“Starburst,” Jihoon says as he unwraps the sweet. “Because you’re the best, but also the worst. _Borst_ , burst.”

Woojin chuckles, Jihoon smiles.

“What do you mean by that?” Woojin asks. Both his shoes are off now and he’s looking right at Jihoon.

“Nothing,” Jihoon shrugs and pops the candy into his mouth. It’s sweet, then sour. Like Woojin. Jihoon wonders if it’ll eventually taste bitter too. “So, you’re taking this girl to prom?”

**Author's Note:**

> To Trin's 2Park Empire™, I know we said no angst, but. ;n;
> 
> My Twitter is @[park__lee](https://twitter.com/park__lee) if you guys want to see me talk about my love for the boys of 1999.


End file.
